Second Trump Assassination Attempt: The Latest Updates
The world is abuzz over another Trump assassination attempt, the second one to occur in just over two months. As news unfolds, we have more details about the incident. The Republican candidate is also blaming Harris/Biden rhetoric for the most recent threat to his life.
Trump Assassination Attempt- What Happened?
The former president was golfing on Sunday when an assassination attempt occurred. The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, camped outside the golf course at the president’s Florida club. He waited with food and a rifle for nearly twelve hours. A Secret Service agent opened fire, stopping the attack before it began.
The former president was golfing on Sunday when an assassination attempt took place. The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, had camped outside the golf course at the former president’s Florida club with food and a rifle for nearly twelve hours. He was reportedly waiting for the president when a Secret Service agent opened fire, stopping the attack.
Authorities noticed Routh when they spotted a firearm sticking out of the shrubbery at the golf course, about 500 yards from where Trump was playing. An agent, visually sweeping the area, spotted the suspect and immediately fired at him. Reports indicate that Routh “did not have a line of sight to the former president” and fled without returning fire.
He got into his car and sped away but was captured in a neighboring county. Authorities charged him with possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional charges are pending.
Who is Ryan Routh?
So, who is the man behind the Trump assassination attempt?
Ryan Routh has lived in North Carolina most of his life but moved to Kawa, Hawaii, in 2018. He and his son own a family business, building sheds.
Routh was passionate about politics. He often posted about the war in Ukraine on social media. The alleged assassin even had a website to raise money and recruit volunteers to send to Kyiv and join the fight. He attended a small demonstration in Kyiv’s Independence Square in April 2022. Although he said he would serve in the war, he never did.
The alleged assassin had no ties to any political party and was registered as an unaffiliated voter. His early posts mainly supported Trump. He posted that the former president would win reelection if he issued an executive order to the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct.
Routh later seemed to switch sides, urging Trump and Biden to visit the wounded in the hospital after the Trump assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. He also wanted them to attend the funeral of the former fire chief killed during the incident.
Trump Blames Kamala/Biden Rhetoric
Trump has communicated with the public and the press since the incident. “I AM SAFE AND WELL!” he initially posted, praising the Secret Service for their protective efforts.
However, on Monday, he took a political stance on the incident, blaming the Biden/Harris administration for spreading rhetoric that frames him as a threat to Democracy. He believes that this angle has inspired the attempts on his life.
“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at,” Trump told Fox News Digital. He later posted on social media writing that the Democratic party “has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust,” and that it would “only get worse.”
Trump posted that despite having no proof of the Kamala/Harris party promoting such rhetoric and in light of his inflammatory rhetoric and advocacy for prosecuting his political enemies.
Harris/Biden Response to the Trump Assassination Attempt
Harris and Biden have responded to the Trump assassination attempt while avoiding a political angle. Harris posted on X writing she was “glad he is safe,” and stating, “Violence has no place in America.”
On Monday, Biden said the Secret Service “needs more help” and urged Congress to provide additional resources to support the agency.